Hell's Just a Place Called Home
by Nek0-Baka
Summary: When she is abducted by the Akatsuki, her whole life is shattered in one blow of evil knowledge. Add the tension between her and her old flame, a terrible mistake, and the lack of enough time for anything; and Atsuko suddenly has an overwhelming life.
1. Enter: The Yobidasu Family

Dozens of kunai whizzed through the air at lightning-fast speeds, aimed at a small silhouette leaning against a tree. The figure easily deflected them all with its katana and instantaneously leaped up into the high branches, using chakra to cling to the bark with its feet. An audible "tch" was heard from the one who threw the kunai. A single strand of blonde hair fell to the ground, and the figure cursed under its breath. Its soft voice carried on the breeze easily and gave the attackers not only the gender, but also a rough estimation of the location of their target. Judging from the silhouette's small size, she was the one they were looking for. Bingo.

The short woman in the tree realized her mistake a millisecond too late; a massive ball of fire was already coming towards her. She rapidly put her hands together, forming a seal for a water ninjutsu, but she was too late. Her attackers had won. Her charcoal corpse fell to the ground and two ninja-clad figures stepped out of the shadows.

They bore the white, animal-shaped masks of Konohagakure ANBU, and their arms had the correct tattoos. Their slender, curvy bodies were evidence of females, and their matching dark hair was pulled back into tight ponytails. The ANBU on the left removed her mask and smirked.

"That was easy!" she exclaimed, laughing. She took a step forward, but her dark green eyes flashed when her companion's arm shot out in front of her.

"Midori, hold on a second. That was almost too easy…" the second ANBU spoke, mask muffling her voice a little bit.

"Atsuko, calm down. We totally got her." Atsuko shook her head, her long brown ponytail swishing softly at the abrupt movement. She took off her mask and quickly assessed the area with her dark chocolate orbs. Her eyes perceived just her normal surroundings; trees, brush, undergrowth… but she could definitely feel someone's presence. She could feel somebody's chakra. She shouldn't be able to sense that if-

"Nee-chan, look out!" the warning made Atsuko lose her composure for a split second. Her eyes widened as she turned her head and happened to notice three shuriken making a beeline for her face. Out of instinct, she ducked and swiftly pulled two kunai out of the light brown pouch on her hip, glancing at her sister through the corner of her eye. The kunoichi that they allegedly killed had jumped from her hiding spot right onto Midori. The black-haired ANBU was blade-to-blade with their target: a short, blonde woman with a scar running across her left cheek.

What happened next was automatic for the two ANBU sisters.

While holding the blonde off with her katana, Midori's right leg swung out to deliver a roundhouse kick to the ribs of her opponent. Atsuko threw the two kunai at her target with perfect precision, one lodging itself between the blonde's bottom two ribs and the other slicing through her thigh. The latter cut through her skin-tight shorts and left a deep wound that instantly bled profusely. The sticky red liquid flowed down the blonde's leg and formed a puddle at her feet.

Midori noticed a pained expression on the blonde and took the moment of weakness as an opportunity to wound her opponent more. With lightning-speed, she sheathed her katana and punched the scarred woman squarely in the face with her right fist. The woman staggered backwards and reached for her shuriken pouch, but Atsuko was already standing behind her, waiting to knock her out. A senbon pierced the blonde's neck and she instantly fell into a coma. A soft sigh escaped Atsuko's lips as Midori checked the pulse of their target.

"What's wrong, Nee-chan?" asked the black-haired kunoichi. Atsuko stared down at the unconscious woman at her feet, as if pondering whether she should tell her little sister what was on her mind. How could she possibly tell the child she practically raised that their dead mother was on her mind? Midori wouldn't understand; Yobidasu Shizume died shortly after Midori's 6th birthday and Atsuko never spoke of her. Every time the brunette used her needles, the painful memories she tried so hard to repress managed to break through her barrier and attempt to take over her mind. It was all she could do to keep an impassive expression on her porcelain face.

"It's just another life uselessly being thrown away. She'll be tortured for the information the elders need, and then killed… She didn't do anything to deserve it."

"Well, she can't be too great of a person if the elders want her dead, can she?" Midori's inquiry made Atsuko bite back a nasty retort. The brunette had to keep her cool around her younger sister, and snapping at her for no reason wasn't going to teach Midori how to be a better shinobi. The only thing that came to her mind when Midori had said that was her mother's death, and she couldn't possibly begin to explain to Midori the horrid details of it. Shizume was not a bad person. She was loyal to Konoha up to her very last, choked out breath. She had died for the elders' sake. Atsuko knew this, Midori didn't.

"Let's bring her back to the village and go see Obaa-chan, I'm sure she has something for us to do," Atsuko replied without really answering Midori's question, moving her arm to indicate the passed out blonde at her feet instead. The green-eyed ANBU put her mask back on and vanished; leaving her older sister to carry the missing ninja they had taken out. Atsuko inwardly groaned at the fact that they had been ordered not to kill and erase the presence of this ninja. Even though she liked not having to kill someone, she did not enjoy carrying 120 pounds of deadweight, especially when that was 10 more pounds than her bodyweight.

Two hours and a few muscle cramps later, Atsuko, Midori, and their silver-haired grandmother were sitting at the table in the Yobidasu residence. Much to Yobidasu Kaori's annoyance, her eldest granddaughter was not sitting properly on her knees. Instead, she was crossing her legs Indian-style, absentmindedly petting a brown cat that sat in her lap. She was staring at her food, but Midori and Kaori knew that she was staring at much more than a meal. She was looking past the food, into whatever it was she was thinking of. Atsuko's brown eyes were clouded over with an unreadable emotion. An awkward silence hung in the air like a thick fog.

Atsuko's mind was filled with memories of her mother. She thought that after 9 years, the pain of losing a mother would just leave her mind, but instead it was Atsuko that withdrew from her emotions. Using the senbon needles made her recall the painful hours spent with her mother, learning the anatomy of the human body. It had triggered an emotion that no teenager should ever have to experience; sharp heartache.

The brunette did not blame her mother for leaving her, or for sending her to live with her grandmother. She didn't cry for days or distance herself from everyone. No, Atsuko had other ways of coping. She shut down the part of her brain that let her feel emotional pain. Nobody knew that the 8-year-old's happiness wasn't a façade; everyone thought that Atsuko's mother's death killed her inside and she was just hiding it from everyone. By age 10, Atsuko had managed to completely block off pain. By age 13, she was already a skilled Chunin, and it seemed like she had completely forgotten about her mother. She had.

Occasionally, she remembered. Something would happen to make her remember. These occurrences were rare. Atsuko avoided using needles as much as possible, for this reason. To erase a memory, you must erase all things associated with that memory. Atsuko had found herself unable to discard the long, silver needles, but she normally didn't use them, just kept them on her person in case of emergencies. Today's mission wasn't even that dangerous, and there are other ways to knock someone out. Atsuko came to the conclusion that she had a masochistic moment and she should fail to remember today's events when she woke up in the morning. It should be easy enough for her.

Kaori cleared her throat in attempt to break the quietude, but all she managed to do was make her granddaughter snap from her trance and look up at her female companions. Midori's eyes kept flickering from her big sister to her grandmother, hoping something interesting would happen soon. At 15 years old, she was always looking for entertainment. Her older sister gladly supplied it whenever she could, dying to see a smile grace the lips of the girl that had become her world.

"Atsuko," Kaori began, "get rid of that animal and sit up straight." Atsuko's eyes narrowed. She loved her grandmother, but her traditional rules and customs vexed the 17-year-old. Midori bit her lip, knowing that Atsuko wouldn't respond to that cheerfully.

"Obaa-chan, _this animal _is a ninja cat, and he has a name. Kouhei may be mute, but he still has ears and I can tell he's offended. Say sorry." Atsuko's tone of voice was level, but the mischievous glint in her brown eyes said it all; she was trying to instigate something. Kaori's face flushed, infuriated by Atsuko's defiant behavior. Midori would definitely get a show tonight. The young kunoichi had to suppress a giggle when her older sister winked at her.

"I don't care what he is, or if I offended him. I want him away from my table!"

Atsuko snickered. "Fine, but Kouhei's not above clawing up some furniture…"

"Put him outside!"

The brunette rolled her eyes, a grin plastered on her face. She had not completely lost her playful side, at least in private. She gazed down at the brown tomcat that was resting in her lap, and then bent down and kissed his forehead. The cat looked up and fondly nuzzled her chin.

"Kouhei, go back home, please," she murmured halfheartedly. The cat disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Atsuko straightened up, ready to eat her meal.

"Gomen, Obaa-chan. I just like messing with you." Midori inwardly pouted when she realized Atsuko was already done aggravating their grandmother. Atsuko smiled softly at her sister, sensing her disappointment. Her mind was worn out from thinking about her mother, and her spirit was dying down from exhaustion.

Tomorrow, when the two sisters were free from missions, Atsuko would treat her sister to ramen and a story about her childhood to make up for it. She decided that one about Uchiha Itachi would definitely keep her sister entertained. After all, Midori had a fascination with Itachi when she was younger. Before their father abandoned the village, Atsuko would leave Midori with him and disappear to hang out with the Uchiha prodigy. There was never a dull moment with him, and Midori loved hearing about it. Now that her sister was old enough and mature enough to not do the things Itachi and Atsuko got into, she revealed the mischief the two would get into at twelve and thirteen years old to her.

A chuckle escaped her lips when she thought of just the story.


	2. Bittersweet Memory

A/N: I'm going to start writing these notes at the beginning of every chapter, just to keep contact with you guys. :D I'll also be putting a key up for Japanese words I use.

Hey guys, thanks to all of you who read the first chapter when it came out and stuck around long enough for this second chapter to be published! I've had such a crazy past couple of months, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. More than half of this chapter is a flashback, which was a pain in the ass to write. Plus, this writing is rushed and half-assed; not my best.

Kami = Japanese God

Obaa-chan = grandmother

Hitai-ate = forehead protector

Baka = idiot

Gomen nasai = I'm very sorry!

XxXxX

A warm smile reached Atsuko's lips when she awoke. The morning sun was creeping through the curtains of her room, creating a blanket of warm light over her room. She stretched her arms out above her head and yawned while sliding her legs out from under the cover and onto the floor. She looked in the mirror on her wall that ran parallel with her bed. A black tank top hugged her slim body, and her lower half was clad in grey short-shorts. Her long hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, with a few strands falling loose around her shoulders. She sighed; she looked the same as always. As she stood up, she stole a glance at her digital clock. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw the time.

_Damn it! Forgive me, Midori. It's unlike me to oversleep, _she thought to herself as she instantly scrambled to get herself dressed and decent-looking. She had told her sister to meet her at Ichiraku Ramen at noon. The clock read 11:50. Atsuko inwardly groaned as she hastily wriggled out of the clothes she had slept in and flailed around looking for fresh clothes. She settled for a pair of dark purple and bright pink Capri pants and a matching baggy, off-the-shoulder shirt that revealed her midriff. They must've been clothes Midori left in her room, but she didn't care. Her little sister wouldn't make a fuss, and she was late. Plus, they actually looked kind of good on her.

Oh, for Kami's sake! She couldn't seriously be thinking about her appearance right now. It was common for a seventeen-year-old girl to do so, though. She grabbed her brush and pulled her hair out of her ponytail, wrapping the hair elastic around her wrist. The brunette then booked it out of her room and down the hall, running the brush through her silky hair. _Thank Kami I took a shower last night, or I'd really be late._

"I'm leaving, Obaa-chan!" she called out as she slid her feet into black sandals, acknowledging the fact that she had no time for her hitai-ate or the traditional ninja sandals that crept over her ankles. Stifling a groan, she ran out the door, continuing to brush her long hair. When it was finally smooth and tangle-free, Atsuko was halfway to Ichiraku. She slowed her pace to a walk and then pulled her hair back into its usual low ponytail. There was no use exhausting herself and showing up to Ichiraku huffing and puffing. Midori would only scoff at her elder sister and laugh at her for being late.

Just as predicted, when Atsuko arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, the first thing Midori said was, "You're late, baka." Atsuko laughed and stepped behind the curtains of the ramen bar. There was one other person there; a boy younger than Midori clad in an orange and blue jumpsuit with the traditional ninja shoes. He had blonde hair that stood up every which way and his hitai-ate was around his forehead, the traditional way to wear it. He was sitting one stool away from the far right corner, slurping ramen obnoxiously. Everything about him screamed Genin.

"Gomen nasai, Midori. I slept in." Midori narrowed her eyes and gave her older sister a skeptical look. Atsuko shrugged and sat down two chairs away from the other customer. Midori sat on Atsuko's left, leaving the brunette to observe the Genin.

"Hey, Atsuko! Long time no see, what's up?" the shopkeeper greeted her with a smile. Atsuko grinned back at him and elbowed Midori. "Hi, Teuchi-san! My sister here didn't get to have much fun yesterday, so I figured I'd treat her to the best ramen around to make up for it!" Teuchi smiled and placed two bowls of hot ramen in front of the girls. Midori seemed surprised while Atsuko just thanked him and snapped her chopsticks in two. Manners went a long way, and a few ego-boosting compliments here and there paid off well. Atsuko's charming flattery always seemed to reward her with free food, new friendships, and the occasional simple friendly smile.

"It's a new special, the squirt over there likes it, but I wanted other customers to try it too. It's free the first bowl," Teuchi said, gesturing to the bowls of ramen he placed in front of the sisters. A small smile curved Midori's lips as she and Atsuko thanked him and began to eat their meals happily. Atsuko's heart warmed; she loved seeing her sister smile.

The blonde boy turned and looked at Atsuko and Midori, and suddenly grinned wider than Atsuko had when she greeted Teuchi. Sensing his gaze, and his smile, Atsuko turned to face him and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" she inquired.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the number-one Leaf ninja and become Hokage!" he replied eccentrically.

"Uh, that's great, Naruto. Is there a reason you're staring at my sister and I so creepily?" Midori asked, a slightly annoyed tone hanging in her words. Atsuko elbowed her sister's ribs and muttered, "be nicer, Midori. That kid's probably just lonely or bored."

"Teuchi-san seems to like you guys, so I figured I'd make a new friend or two! I don't have that many…" The blonde seemed oblivious to Midori's annoyance, but his face fell when he mentioned his lack of friends. Atsuko, feeling sorry for the boy, patted the seat next to her.

"I'm going to be telling my little sister a story about my childhood, if you would like to listen," she smiled. Naruto instantly lit up again and didn't hesitate to sit next to the older Yobidasu. Winking at her little sister, Atsuko turned to take another bite of ramen.

"How old are you, Naruto-san?" Midori asked, trying to be polite, as Atsuko had subtly requested.

"I'm thirteen years old! What about you guys? And um, what are your names?" Midori giggled and pointed to her older sister.

"Her name's Yobidasu Atsuko, and my name's Yobidasu Midori. She's seventeen now, and I'm fifteen."

"Nice to meet ya, Midori, Atsuko!" The two sisters nodded. "Say, Atsuko-chan, what's the story about?" he asked after they had all finished their first bowls.

"Since you're his age, you know Uchiha Sasuke, right?" Atsuko replied. Naruto seemed to get angry at the mention of the young Uchiha.

"Yeah, he's a part of Team 7 with me…" The blonde's fists clenched. "He graduated with the highest grades in the class, and I graduated dead last… He always makes fun of me and acts like he's so much better-"

"So you two don't get along?" Midori cut him off, feeling a little uncomfortable listening to a kid she just met rant. Atsuko was silent, taking in Naruto's resentment for Sasuke. A bittersweet feeling washed over her; she had felt the exact same way about Itachi when they were that age. Although, Atsuko and Itachi had managed to become very close friends, while it seemed Naruto and Sasuke's relationship was quite strained.

"Naruto-san, the story is about Sasuke-chan and his older brother, Itachi-kun, when they were kids. It's more about Itachi-kun than Sasuke-chan, and it's more of a story that my little sister would like to hear, but Sasuke-chan does make an appearance," she explained warmly, hoping to calm the kid down a little bit. Sasuke was a completely different person when he was a child, compared to his current personality. Naruto's quarrel with him couldn't have extended too far back into their childhood. He giggled a little when he heard the honorific Atsuko referred to Sasuke with.

"Is it embarrassing?" he asked, his mood changing drastically once again. Kami, this kid was bipolar. Midori could almost see the giant anime sweat-drop sliding down the back of Atsuko's head.

"Somewhat. Sasuke-chan was quite the child before the incident," Atsuko chuckled softly.

"The incident?" Midori's eyes narrowed and Atsuko shook her head. The Uchiha Clan massacre wasn't something the sisters were comfortable talking about, especially Atsuko. She was directly involved in it in ways that she would rather not repeat. It was awful for Midori as well; a member of the Uchiha Clan had been her childhood best friend.

"You know what I'm talking about, I'm sure you do," Atsuko mumbled. Just like her mother, the Uchiha massacre was something Atsuko chose to forget. She intentionally blocked that particular memory out so she wouldn't have to feel pain every time she thought about it. Why was she such a masochist? _Bounce back, like this kid does, _she thought to herself. A nervous laugh left her lips and she inwardly took a deep breath.

"Itachi-kun and I used to be really close friends," she started to explain. Midori was already captivated by Atsuko's words, as usual. Naruto, however, wanted to hear more about Sasuke, and interrupted the brunette ANBU.

"What about Sasuke?" he asked loudly.

"Naruto, we may not look it but Atsuko and I are actually members of ANBU, and we're both team leaders when not paired together. I suggest you don't interrupt again, or your death will not cloud my mind with guilt!" retorted an infuriated Midori. Atsuko sighed at her sister's childishness, but she agreed. She hated being interrupted and would like to just tell her story and be done with it. There were no doubts that the brunette was going to disappear later, and leave Midori and their grandmother, Kaori, to dine alone that night.

"Anyway, because we were close friends, Itachi-kun and I would often be seen together when we were both free. We would almost always train together, and Itachi's family would have me over for dinner some nights. It was one of those nights where my story begins…"

XxXxX

"_Obaa-chan, I'm going to Uchiha Itachi's for dinner tonight!" called a thirteen-year-old Atsuko as she rushed out the door, not bothering to listen to her grandmother's response. Her whole body was almost quivering with excitement. She was going to Uchiha Itachi's house for dinner, and his _father _had invited her. Stuck up, mean, strict Uchiha Fugaku invited _her _to dinner. There was no way she was going to pass the offer up. Even though Atsuko had been there many times before, it was always either Itachi or Mikoto inviting her there._

_Itachi was standing out on the road, waiting to walk her to his house when she rushed out the door. She was going so fast, she was oblivious to her surroundings and ran headfirst into the child prodigy. Laughing nervously, she took a step back and smiled up at her best friend._

"_Gomen nasai, Itachi-kun. I'm just excited to eat with you guys!" The Uchiha male chuckled softly, turning around and starting to walk towards his family's compound. Blushing, Atsuko became serious and ran up to walk next to Itachi._

"_It's all right, Atsuko. I don't see why you're so excited though. It's not like you haven't been over before, and you know all the members of my family…"_

"_Yes, but your father-"_

"_My father isn't all too pleasant."_

"_Your father is very well respected among us ninja. Not all of us can be ANBU captains at such a young age, like you." Atsuko knew Itachi and his father didn't get along, but Uchiha Fugaku was an excellent shinobi and a good man to have on one's side. Atsuko knew she shouldn't have snapped like that at him, but Itachi didn't realize how good he had it with his father._

"_So in other words, my high rank means I don't have to kiss ass, and your low rank requires you to?" Itachi was smirking at this point, leaving Atsuko to think about her words. He was right, once again. The only reason she was so happy about being around the Uchiha Clan leader was that with he being such a high rank in the shinobi world, favoring Atsuko meant possible promotions in the future. Itachi was well aware of this fact, and liked to tease his friend about it all the time._

"_You know what?" she said, an annoyed tone obvious in her voice._

"_What?" he asked, holding back laughter._

"_I'm an excellent Chunin, on my way to becoming a Jounin, when most of the kids my age are just getting out of the academy. I'm still strong for my age, and one day, I swear I will catch up to you!" She had a huge cheesy grin plastered on her face, and her eyes beamed brightly. Itachi smiled inwardly to himself as he turned to look at the girl. Despite her outburst, she looked happy. She wasn't really hurt by his joking words, but she was serious about surpassing him one day. She always was._

How naïve… _he thought to himself before continuing on his way, a glowing kunoichi by his side. "You're so arrogant, Atsuko…"_

_At dinner, Atsuko was seated next to an eight-year-old Sasuke, while Itachi sat opposite her. Sasuke looked up to the kunoichi as much as he did his brother. It surprised her, above anything else, to know that an Uchiha, even a young one such as Sasuke, would respect her as much as one would respect Itachi. Perhaps it was because she always treated him kindly, and whenever he needed a companion in the past she was there._

"_Atsuko-chan, when are you applying to become a Jounin?" Uchiha Mikoto asked. Atsuko smiled softly when she heard those words. Ever since her mother's death, Atsuko had felt alone, with no one to talk to. Mikoto had taken the place of a part-time mother for the young girl, and Atsuko looked up to her as such. Mikoto always showed interest in Atsuko's activities, plans, achievements, and personal life, sometimes even more so than her own mother had._

"_Next month, I think. Itachi-kun's gonna teach me a new technique that'll be sure to make me a Jounin!" A warm smile reached Mikoto's lips, and Fugaku glanced towards his son, as if to question his actions. "I don't know if I'm ready though…" she murmured sheepishly, serious about her doubt in herself. Her stamina was low, and her knowledge of jutsu did not extend very far. She also lacked fair taijutsu skills. Her great use of weapons had gotten her as far as she was today, but she didn't believe that she had the potential to become a Jounin yet._

"_I think you're more than ready, Atsuko." The brunette, along with Itachi and Mikoto, looked up in shock at the head of the Uchiha Clan. A pink tint reached her cheeks, so she quickly ducked her head down. She was used to people complimenting her, but Itachi's father had never praised her, not even subtly._

"_Thank you, Fugaku-sama," she murmured respectfully, trying hard to contain her delight at the blatant compliment._

_The rest of the night went nicely, and Atsuko left happy. The moon was full that night, and the stars shined so bright, one would think they were trying to express something. The trees along the path Atsuko walked didn't seem menacing, like they normally did at night. She had a wonderful time, and nothing could bring down her good mood. Everything seemed nice. Itachi walked her home, as always, but when they got halfway there, he stopped abruptly. Atsuko was humming quietly to herself as she moved, eyes closed and senses weakened, so she almost didn't notice that her friend was no longer walking beside her. When she did, she turned around and shot him a questioning glance._

"_What's wrong, 'Tachi?" her voice revealed her fatigue and the young Uchiha hesitated to respond. He wanted to show her something, but if she was too tired he didn't want to sacrifice some of her sleep. The brunette kunoichi noticed something was up, so she took a step towards him and softly said, "Don't worry about me; if there's something you need to get off your chest I'm here."_

"_It's nothing like that." He smirked softly, the curve of his lips barely noticeable. Of course, Atsuko was more concerned about him than herself. For once, he decided he would let her care. He inhaled softly before he continued, "There's something I've been meaning to show you, and with it being really nice out tonight and all…" He trailed off, something he never really did. He was acting strange, Atsuko noted._

"_Well, lead the way," she replied, smiling at him. He nodded and turned to his left, where a hidden pathway through the woods should be. Sure enough, in the light of the full moon he could make out the open area in the undergrowth where the pathway started. Only Itachi and Shisui knew of this place, as they had accidentally discovered it one day when walking home from Atsuko's house._

_Itachi walked towards the path, and held up some branches for Atsuko to pass through. She smiled gratefully at him, and followed the path into the woods. She paused and looked behind her after a few paces, to let Itachi catch up. She wouldn't admit it, but the forest scared her, especially at night. She wasn't waiting for him out of common courtesy; she was waiting for him selfishly. She knew he was stronger and much more brave than she was, so she depended on him to protect her. The young Uchiha seemed to be aware of this, and in an attempt to comfort her, slipped his hand into hers when he reached her side._

_For the third time that night, Atsuko blushed. Thankful for the darkness, no matter how intimidating it may be, she entwined her small fingers with Itachi's and felt her cheeks heat up even more. As he led her along the way, she found herself thinking. They held hands all the time, it wasn't something new to her, but yet, it felt completely unknown to Atsuko. This feeling that she got wasn't normal. Her pulse was hot on her neck, ringing in her ears. Butterflies flew around in her stomach. And of course, her cheeks were still tinted red._

What is this feeling? _She asked herself as she stole a glance at the onyx-eyed boy next to her. He was staring ahead with a look of determination in his eyes, as if getting to this place, wherever it may be, was the sole most important thing he would ever do. Little did Atsuko know, in Itachi's mind, at this time, it was. He knew what was to come soon, and he needed to be with her as much as possible the next couple weeks. He needed to know she was going to be okay, after what he was planning. And he needed her to know he loved her. He would tell her all of this later, but right now all he needed to do was get to the place he was headed. And so he did, leading Atsuko by her hand, thankful for the darkness that was concealing his slight blush. How embarrassing._

"_Woah, 'Tachi-kun! This is so cool!" exclaimed a delighted Atsuko as the pair stopped in front of a lake. It was the average size one would expect of a lake, but it seemed so much bigger in the night. The moon cast its luminous beams down on the still water, causing it to shine softly. Trees surrounded them, with only a few feet between the shore and the forest. The shore itself was also a short distance before the water lapped at the sand. An island, no bigger than Atsuko's house, was within swimming distance from the beach._

_Itachi chuckled and smiled at her, noticing her eyes were glued to the moonlit water. "It's beautiful, huh?" he asked. She smiled back and nodded. A grin was still plastered on her face when she looked out to the water. Truth was, it was a lot more than beautiful. In her eyes, it was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. It was prettier than the vast open sky that always covered Konoha. As she stared out, a thought crossed her mind. She turned to her male companion to voice it, but when she was about to open her mouth, Itachi leaned in and kissed her. And with wide eyes, Atsuko kissed him back._

"_Nii-san likes Atsuko-chan!" the couple pulled apart quickly and stared at the youngest Uchiha child, who had just blundered out of the bushes. The girl's cheeks turned bright scarlet, and Itachi just sighed at his little brother._

"_Sasuke, shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked, turning to face the 8-year-old fully with a stern face. Sasuke looked down at his little feet and replied, "I wanted to follow you guys…"_

"_Does Mom know you're out?"_

"…"

_The elder Uchiha opened his mouth to scold his brother, but before he could, Atsuko murmured, "wait." Recovering from her embarrassment, she stepped towards Itachi and placed her hand on his upper arm. When he looked at her, puzzled, she shook her head and nodded towards Sasuke, who was still staring at his feet with a sad look in his eyes. Once again, Itachi sighed. The girl at his side smiled warmly at him, and nudged him towards Sasuke._

"_I can go the rest of the way by myself, once we get out of the forest," she said as a hint for Itachi to take Sasuke home. When Itachi sent her a questioning glance, as if to ask if something was wrong, she smiled in response. He took it as an, "everything's alright," so he placed his hand on his little brother's shoulder and guided him home._

_As she watched the boys walk, Atsuko brought her hand to her lips. She could still feel Itachi's pressed to them, and her cheeks warmed up at the thought. Suppressing a giggle of delight, the brunette kunoichi followed the Uchiha brothers back to the road, and then walked herself home._

XxXxX

"Wow, I can't believe Sasuke totally ruined the moment!" exclaimed a laughing Naruto. Midori was chuckling lightly to herself, while Atsuko still seemed to be off in another world, reminiscing on her past. She was still void of dark emotions, as this was just another thing that would've brought her pain, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of cheerfulness. Itachi and Sasuke brought her happiness; even when her mother died and she couldn't feel anything but sorrow. They also filled the emptiness when they were around, much like Midori did.

Naruto and Midori had just stopped laughing when Atsuko sensed someone's presence. She turned to look at the people that had just walked under the curtains of the bar, noticing them before the other two. A silver-haired man that she recognized as Kakashi Hatake stood before her, looking at Naruto. She knew him from the ANBU, she realized. She had gone on a mission with him once, before he quit and became a regular Jounin again. The other person, standing next to him, was Sasuke.

"Hey, Naruto, come train with Sasuke and I," said the ex-ANBU. The blonde instantly started complaining, and it was almost comical, except Sasuke was just glaring at him, with sharp eyes colder than ice. They were unnerving to Atsuko, and a glance at her sister told her that she wasn't the only one put off by it. The two hadn't really been around Sasuke too much since the incident, but they could still read him. That hatred in his eyes wasn't directed towards Naruto… no, it was directed towards someone else, someone much more significant.

_Itachi… what have you done?_


End file.
